Baby Bowser

This article is about Bowser as an infant. For Bowser's identical-looking minions known as Baby Bowsers in the first three Mario Parties, see Koopa Kid. For the group of seven Koopa siblings originally considered Bowser's children, see Koopalings.

Baby Bowser (called Prince Bowser by his minions), also known as Bowsie[1][2] or Baby Koopa[3][4], is one of the two main villains in the Yoshi franchise, alongside Kamek. He was designed to be the infant self of Bowser. Although not related to him, Kamek is mainly responsible for his child rearing. Baby Bowser looks almost identical to his future child, Bowser Jr.. The main difference between the two is that Bowser Jr. has a painting on his bandanna, while Baby Bowser's is blank, or he does not wear it at all.

Baby Bowser is the final boss of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. He appears at the end of his castle as Kamek is demanding that Yoshi hand over Baby Mario, waking and complaining that "it's too noisy". He then Ground Pounds Kamek and kicks him away, noticing Yoshi immediately afterward and wanting to ride the "gween donkey." Baby Bowser attacks by ground pounding wherever Yoshi is, creating shockwaves on the ground. In addition, if Baby Mario is knocked off of Yoshi's back, Baby Bowser climbs onto his back instead; if Baby Mario is saved afterward, Baby Bowser will be stunned. Baby Bowser can be hit by ground pounding the ground close to him, and after three hits Baby Bowser is beaten. Kamek shows up and uses his magic on him, causing him to grow into the kaiju-sizedBig Baby Bowser[5], destroying the castle around him. Baby Bowser is also the only boss who must be defeated before Kamek casts a spell on him.

The final battle takes place on the remains of the room; at the beginning Big Baby Bowser sends debris down to destroy part of the ground. During the second phase, Big Baby Bowser attacks by breathing fireballs at Yoshi, advancing from in the background. If Big Baby Bowser gets too close the ground is destroyed, instantly defeating Yoshi. The player must grab the Giant Eggs that Baron von Zeppelins carry onto the stage and throw them into the background at Big Baby Bowser to knock him back. After enough hits, he simply charges forward, and after seven hits, he is defeated, returned to his normal size and knocked out. Afterward, Kamek reappears and vows revenge before flying off with Baby Bowser. Yoshi then sprints up to the Stork and Baby Luigi, freeing them both and allowing the Stork to deliver the babies to their parents.

It's possible to defeat Big Baby Bowser even when the platform is gone. If done, he falls down, and Yoshi falls, landing on a platform where Baby Luigi and the Stork are. Yoshi will notice Kamek, who flies off. Then, the rest will be back to normal.

Baby Bowser gets his revenge in Yoshi's Story when he steals the Super Happy Tree, the source of all the happiness throughout Yoshi's Island. To make matters worse, he turns the entire island into a pop-up book. It's up to a bunch of Baby Yoshis to stop him. After some venturing, the Baby Yoshis uncover Baby Bowser in his castle and one of them duels him to reclaim the Super Happy Tree. Baby Yoshi has to hit Baby Bowser with Bob-ombs while the prince is riding his "pet" and knock him off. He then recites a "poem" about how he's the king, and intends to smash Baby Yoshi and thus demands the latter say goodbye. The battle is then on the ground where Baby Bowser shoots fireballs, throws bombs, and sends shock-waves; Yoshi has to hit him a few more times to beat him. After being beaten, Bowser surrenders, and allows the baby Yoshis to have the Super Happy Tree back, rationalizing that the fruit tasted horrible to him anyway, before being carried out by his Toadies while sobbing.

During the events of Yoshi's Island DS, Baby Bowser is at his castle when his future self shows up to kidnap the star children and gain control of the universe. Baby Bowser is ironically abducted by the future Kamek from the past Kamek and brought to Bowser's Castle. When he realizes the circumstances, he insults his grown-up self and his plan, calling him an "old geezer." Enraged and oblivious to the fact that his younger self is one of the star children, the Koopa King kicks Baby Bowser out of the castle.

As Baby Bowser plummets, he swears revenge and once he lands, he yells into the sky in a futile attempt to remind his older self that they're one and the same. Baby Bowser then notices Baby Mario and tells him he saw Baby Luigi in Bowser's Castle. Baby Bowser then realizes that he has just landed on Yoshi and is stoked to get a ride from him. Baby Bowser is then playable for the remainder of World 4; as the Nintendo Power Player's Guide puts it, he shows up to "kick some major enemy butt, of course!" While carrying him, Yoshi can't swallow enemies, as this move is replaced with the young Koopa's ability to breathe fireballs; this defeats enemies and melts ice cubes. Once Big Guy the Stilted is defeated, Baby Bowser leaves Yoshi's group in an attempt to hitch a ride from the future Kamek as he flies off to report to the adult Bowser. However, Baby Bowser loses his grip and falls off of Kamek's broomstick.

Baby Bowser later rejoins Yoshi's group, along with Baby Wario (who he had been fighting with over treasure), when they reach Bowser's Castle. He eventually betrays them and attacks Yoshi and the other babies, believing they're after his treasure. The fight goes much like the previous one, but faster. Yoshi beats the little prince and Kamek takes him away, leaving the group to the future Bowser, who is angry at what Yoshi did to his younger self. He is then eventually defeated. At the end of the game, Baby Bowser falls off Kamek's broom and lands on a barge carrying his treasure, now claimed by Baby Wario; another argument between the two young misers inevitably ensues. Presumably, Baby Bowser is taken back by the past Kamek.

After a 7-year hiatus, Baby Bowser appears in Yoshi's New Island as a main antagonist alongside Kamek, and his older self later in the game. In this game, he plans to turn Egg Island into his vacation home, so the Yoshis, as well as adventuring to rescue Baby Luigi, go out to stop Baby Bowser's plan. At the end, the scenario is similar to the original Yoshi's Island. He is once again awaken from his slumber, only to crush and kick Kamek out. He soon notices the "familiar green donkey" and proceeds to try and ride Yoshi again.

He is the penultimate boss of the game in a two part battle reminiscent of his battle in Super Mario World 2, though the second part of the battle (where he once again becomes the giant Mega Baby Bowser[6] thanks to Kamek) is more similar to the battle with Giant Bowser in New Super Mario Bros. U. His voice in this game is a more baby sounding voice of his future son, and is evidenced further from the second phase of the battle. After he is defeated, and before the stork and Baby Luigi are rescued, his future self appears out of nowhere, making Yoshi and Baby Mario battle him.

Baby Bowser is the final boss in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, and is first seen waiting for Kamek to give him yarn to make "a big new castle". Then, Yoshi suddenly appears and Baby Bowser starts the battle with him. Yoshi must throw a yarn ball (provided by one of three red Shy Guys that periodically fall from the top of the screen) at Baby Bowser, then ground-pound him, and repeat this three times to defeat him. After Baby Bowser is defeated, Kamek later uses the power of the Wonder Wool to make him transform into Mega Baby Bowser, where he once again has a similar voice to his future son. To defeat him, Yoshi must unravel giant yarn balls to get three medium-sized yarn balls each, then throw them at the eight giant, glowing, magenta Wonder Wools circling around Mega Baby Bowser. The game ends when Yoshi successfully defeats Mega Baby Bowser, and the Wonder Wools finally unravels from him, causing all of the single-color-and-white Yoshis to return back to normal. Afterwards, Baby Bowser is taken away by Kamek, and is last seen near a moon with Kamek carrying him. Poochy pops out from behind the moon, causing Kamek to get spooked and accidentally drops Baby Bowser as the game's closing credits begin to roll. Baby Bowser is the only baby character that appears in Yoshi's Woolly World.

Stats in parentheses are from the Japanese and European versions (if they differ from the original American release).

Baby Bowser's only appearance in the Mario & Luigi series is in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, where he is the secondary antagonist. He first appears at the beginning of the game, in an attempt to kidnap Baby Peach. Luckily, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi show up in the nick of time to play with Baby Peach. After Baby Mario defeats him however, the Shroobs attack Princess Peach's Castle. Fortunately, everyone manages to escape on Baby Bowser's Koopa Cruiser. On the way to his castle, Baby Bowser picks the Mario and Luigi from the future to get Baby Peach to stop crying. On the Koopa Cruiser, he receives a transmission from Princess Shroob at Shroob Castle. She tells the crew something in the Shroobs' language and shoots down the Koopa Cruiser with a Shroob Missile.

Baby Bowser is flung away from the Koopa Cruiser on the impact, into his castle. Eventually, he realizes his arch-enemies and their adult selves have stolen his Cobalt Star Shard from his castle and tracked them down to the Vim Factory, where he swipes both his Cobalt Star Shard and the one the Bros. have just obtained from Swiggler.

Baby Bowser then flees to the peak of Yoshi's Island with his caretaker, Kamek, where he orders Kamek to snatch the Yoshi Cookies from the Yoshis. When the Mario Bros. catch up to Baby Bowser at the peak, he scarfs down all the Yoshi Cookies, but starts choking. Baby Bowser then leaves to the other side of the peak after Kamek had given him some "evil" milk. While Mario and Luigi try to negotiate with him, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi gobble up all the cookies, causing Baby Bowser to become enraged. He runs off while the Mario Bros. defeat Kamek, and they corner him at the other side of the peak. Without thinking his plans through, Baby Bowser eats the Cobalt Star Shards in retribution for the cookies. Soon after, he and the Mario Bros. are eaten by Yoob.

The first fight with Baby Bowser in Partners in Time.

Inside Yoob, Baby Bowser, along with the Yoshis already eaten, are put inside a Yoob Egg. When the Mario Bros. confront Sunnycide, a monster within Yoob, he throws the egg Baby Bowser is in at Luigi, breaking it open. After the Mario Bros. defeat Sunnycide, Baby Bowser and all of the swallowed Yoshis escape Yoob.

Back on Yoshi's Island, Baby Bowser tells the Yoshis that he saved them from Yoob. Having believed him, the Yoshis give him the rest of their cookies when the Mario Bros. and Toadbert show up to tell them he is lying. Baby Bowser then eats all of the Yoshi Cookies and gets sick. He vomits the Cobalt Star Shards, which, seemingly with a mind of their own, hit him and fling him off of Yoshi's Island.

Later on, Baby Bowser heads off to Thwomp Volcano to build a new castle, where he meets his future self, Bowser. After a minor argument, Baby Bowser and Bowser team up, not knowing the other ones identity, against the Mario Bros. They end up being beaten after the battle and flung into the sky by an Thwomp Elevator, where Bowser ends up in a Time Hole and Baby Bowser ends up on top of the Shroob Mothership.

Baby Bowser's Shroob Mushroom form

Baby Bowser shows up again after the Bros. have defeated Princess Shroob and, despite being warned by the adult Princess Peach, he puts the Cobalt Star Shards together and completed the Cobalt Star, releasing Elder Princess Shroob. Baby Bowser is then turned into a Shroob Mushroom. After the battle with the Elder Princess Shroob, Baby Luigi's tears turn him back to his normal state. While the Mushroom Kingdom is cleansed of all traces of the Shroobs thanks to Professor E. Gadd's Hydrogush, Baby Bowser goes home, complaining about losing the Cobalt Star with Kamek telling him to let it go.

Baby Bowser shares many physical qualities with his adult counterpart, Bowser. They both have red hair and black cuffs on their arms. Baby Bowser has cuffs on his neck in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and in Yoshi's Story. In these appearances, Baby Bowser appears with spiked cuffs, while in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Yoshi's Island DS, his cuffs appear with no spikes. Like Bowser, Baby Bowser has two red eyebrows (black on his Super Mario World 2: Yoshi Island's sprite), a green shell with spikes, and two small nostrils on his nose. Baby Bowser also has claws on his hands and his feet. Unlike Bowser, Baby Bowser either has no horns or his horns are small and stubby, much like Bowser Jr.'s, depending on the game. When Baby Bowser was in the dark in Yoshi's Island, he was shown to have yellow eyeshine.

His personality is similar in many ways to his future son. A spoiled child, Baby Bowser frequently throws tantrums in hopes that his minions will give him what he wants. He is also shown to be very abusive to his minions when angered, which is best demonstrated by how he flattens Kamek, his guardian, after the latter accidentally woke him when confronting Yoshi and demanding Baby Mario in two separate instances, as well as implied in key artwork for Yoshi's New Island, where Baby Bowser had beaten Kamek with the latter's wand while undergoing a tantrum. He is greedy and also very gluttonous, as shown in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, where he eats a huge pile of Yoshi Cookies and the Cobalt Star shards with Toadbert calling him a "little piggie". He even insulted his future self in Yoshi's Island DS and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. He was also shown to be extremely protective of his treasure to the extent of being paranoid, turning on his allies in an instant if he even slightly suspected that they may be after it, as demonstrated in Yoshi's Island DS. In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's New Island, Baby Bowser has a tendency to speak in baby-like language, with phrases such as "gween donkey" being heard from him. Even though Baby Bowser shows no awareness of his future archenemy, Baby Mario, in Yoshi's Island or Yoshi's New Island (even simply shoving him aside so he could ride Yoshi), he does directly reference the latter in Yoshi's Story by referring to Yoshi as "Mario's little pet." Owing to his age, he also tended to mispronounce words that have "l"s or "r"s, having them come out as "w"s as well as his misprouncing his "i"s as "y"s, as evidenced by his speeches to Kamek and Yoshi in both Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's New Island.

Even as a child, Baby Bowser demonstrated some of his adult self's traits, such as breathing fire (Either large streams of fire or fireballs) and possessing a surprising amount of strength. He can also Ground Pound and Flutter like Yoshi. He can also summon minions to attack, which is demonstrated with both his pet and some Shy Guys. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, he has a hammer just like the baby bros. Unlike Bowser, he seems to be more active and has a bigger appetite.

When enhanced by Kamek to become Big Baby Bowser, Baby Bowser also demonstrates some degree of telekinesis, as rubble is seen being lifted as he roars and lifts his hands up. He also is shown to breath massive fireballs, either directly at Yoshi or spraying them upwards to descend in an arc. He can also ground pound, with the quakes being potent enough to literally reshift the ground by raising it upward or sink downward.

In most of his appearances, his "voice" is composed of three record-skips at a low volume, two when ground-pounding (as well as brief roar when yawning). In Yoshi's Story, he has a youthful, yet at the same time rasping element to his voice. In Yoshi's New Island, he was given a similar voice to Bowser Jr., albeit with a slightly higher pitch. In most games, he speaks with a text box with limited voiced dialogue.

With his fiery breath, Baby Bowser can defeat enemies and melt ice. Breathe fire by pressing . Keep in mind that Yoshi can't make eggs with Baby Bowser on his back, but he can still pick them up and throw them.

Even as a youngster, Baby Bowser was already playing pranks and causing trouble for Baby Mario and his pal Yoshi. Even at this early age of his evil career, Baby Bowser had tons of henchmen at his disposal. Many experts speculate that Mario and Bowser have some sort of connection that can be traced back to their mutual births.

Technically, Baby Bowser is the only boss in Yoshi's Island to be fought before being enhanced by Kamek, and one of two bosses to not initially be enhanced (the only other being Prince Froggy), not counting the easter egg involving Naval Piranha.

His official artwork in Yoshi's Island DS depicts him on the back of a Yellow Yoshi, which only appears during fort levels. However, there is never a point in the actual game where Baby Bowser is usable in a fort.